Sunday, May 17, 2009

What comes to mind when you hear the word 'meditation'? Many people think meditation involves participation in a religious ritual, or that it requires certain beliefs. Others think of sitting in the traditional cross-legged position with their arms out. Well, hopefully this book will change all of those preconceived ideas.

Paul Wilson, founder of the Calm Center in Sydney, Australia, travels the world teaching others the art of meditation without magic or mysticism. As I read his book The Calm Technique, I realized that it's harder than I expected to clear your mind. I learned that if I'm thinking about not thinking, then I'm still not in the meditative state.

You may be pleasantly surprised that you get more out of this book than you would have imagined. It may help you learn to be more positive, sleep better, work more effectively, have an increase in mental awareness, and a greater capacity to cope.

While the technique is simple, it does take more practice than I was expecting. However, I believe that when you find something that can have a positive impact on your life using a natural, drug-free method that does not require you to change your lifestyle in any way, and only takes about thirty minutes a day, it's definitely time well spent.